Things are definitely looking up! The temperatures are rising, the snow is melting, and vaccines are already in arms or scheduled. It looks as if March will indeed go out like a lamb. Spring is on the way!
First and foremost, in our message this month, we want to express our sincere thanks to those members who have heeded the call to serve as elected officers on the Guild Board next year. The nominating committee has compiled a slate of candidates for Board approval at the March board meeting.
Thank you also to the members of the Nominating Committee – Pooa Bloomberg, Anne MacDonald, Carol Sterk, and Jody Sullivan who have worked the phones and sent emails over the last two months to come up with such an excellent roster of candidates.
It is not for want of effort but, unfortunately, we have not been able to find a nominee to chair the Quilt Show for 2022. We all understand that it is a difficult position to fill, given the responsibility and time-commitment. Long-time Guild members now have other obligations and newer members are naturally reluctant to take on the position with little or no experience under their belt. Sadly, given the feedback we have received, it may be time for the Guild to recognize that, for the moment, we need to scale down and consider a different way of promoting quilting in our community – perhaps limited exhibitions of member quilts in local venues that can be organized separately by different groups of volunteers. We are certainly open to ideas and would like to hear from you.
Although there is no Quilt Show this spring, we still plan to get together! The Board is currently considering reprising our fall Quilt Social at the North Salem Ambulance Corps. with a Spring Fling! This will take place in late April or early May. We are hoping for a small exhibition of quilts – Comfort Quilts or quilts created through the SIGs or some other member organized display. Some shopping – there will be bargains on Boutique quilt kits, books, magazines, and raffle quilt pins. We hope to have a few tables available for members to sell items. If you have any other thoughts about what the event might include to add to the fun or how you might like to participate, please get in touch with us.
Raffle ticket sales have been booming! Thanks to all of you who returned your raffle booklets, to SHORE/ICARE who reached out to their donors, and to Lisa at Pins and Needles who advertised the raffle to her store clients – the response was wonderful. Just a reminder to those of you who have not yet purchased your raffle tickets, the deadline is fast approaching (the raffle drawing will take place out our April Guild Meeting) and the mail is not as reliable as it was!!!
Thank you to Roni Gerhardt, Susan Fasnacht and Patricia Loquet who treated us to wonderful pop-up workshops this month. Coming up: Nanette LaVerdiere will teach us how to make an armchair pincushion, Susan Deshensky will give a class on sewing a book pillow and Linda Stern will be showing us creative ways to make labels for our quilts. Keep an eye out for the emails!
Our Guild speaker this month is Katie Fowler who will describe finding her creative bliss by painting on fabric and layering and stitching the paintings to provide texture and structure. She describes herself as a fearless quilter and her lecture is bound to release a sense of adventure in all of us.
Happy quilting!
Karen and Anne
March 2021